With assistance from the Personal Chefs International Organization of San Diego, an association of about 30 local chefs, Chef Valerie Anastasi-Renzoni has earned such nicknames as “The Goddess of Cuisine” and “Chef Delicious.”
Anastasi-Renzoni’s reputation has also grown through the success of her locally self-started business, Healthy Culinary Concepts.
A graduate of the Scottsdale Culinary Institute in Arizona, Chef Valerie began her culinary career cooking as a personal chef in Arizona. Retreating from her place of education, she moved on to teach for Dr. Dean Ornish’s program for reversing heart disease at Scripps Clinic, which later founded the Grateful Heart Caf & #233; in San Diego.
While working at the Cafe, Anastasi-Renzoni also joined the Personal Chefs International Organization, which founded a local branch under the direction of Denise Monroy in 1995. Here, Anastasi-Renzoni developed personal contacts, a sense of culinary camaraderie and a basis for launching a business.
With an increased knowledge of low-fat, heart-healthy cooking, and a realization about the lack of credit received in the kitchen, Anastasi-Renzoni sought out to begin her own personal service, as an in-home chef, about five years ago.
– Specialty Is Preparing
Heart-Healthy Entrees
Now serving as her own private entity, Anastasi-Renzoni is preparing in-home meals, specializing in heart-healthy and vegetarian entrees, for about 10 regular clients.
Her services include home-cooked meals made to order for either two weeks of frozen entrees or weekly on-the-spot fresh meals.
Anastasi-Renzoni’s two-week frozen entrees, which are cooked and stored in versatile containers made for the refrigerator, freezer, microwave and oven, run $305 for two people.
Her daily fresh plan for the week costs $200, plus groceries. With this, Anastasi-Renzoni makes daily visits to a home for 60- to 100-minute dinner creations, which includes entire kitchen clean-up.
– Catering Service
Also Available
Healthy Culinary Concepts also offers a catering service for dinner parties. With the help of Personal Chefs’ contacts and culinary assistance, Anastasi-Renzoni finds herself entertaining about one dinner party a week.
As for now, Anastasi-Renzoni has her hands full catering to households and parties, and conducting in-home cooking demos that cost $35 to $50 per person.
Offering these customized meals that are delicious, nutritious, light on the waistline and the wallet, Anastasi-Renzoni says, “This service is becoming a necessity, not just a luxury. People have their own personal computer, their own personal trainer, now they can have their own personal chef.”
If business keeps up at this rate, Anastasi-Renzoni said she may hire a couple full-time employees.
